RightBreathe

Launched on 13th April 2017, RightBreathe is an innovative website and accompanying app designed by clinicians for clinicians and patients specifically to inform the selection, prescribing, and on-going use of inhalers. Its development was supported and managed by NHS London Procurement Partnership with the overall aim of optimising medicines use in this increasingly complicated area.

The initiative’s clinical lead, Dr. Azhar Saleem explains: “RightBreathe is a not-for-profit product which has been developed by NHS GPs and Pharmacists and user-tested by patients and expert clinicians. It is unique in covering each and every inhaler and spacer device licensed in the UK for treating asthma and COPD.”

RightBreathe is unique in covering each and every inhaler and spacer device licensed in the UK for treating asthma and COPD.

Dr. Azhar Saleem, Clinical Lead

RightBreathe also covers the inhaler technique videos for all inhalers available to prescribe in the UK. It aims to present specific, tailored information on each option in a standardised format and with assured quality, enabling clinicians to search and filter the options to suit individual circumstances and patients’ needs.

It also maps all of the available options against local, national, and international prescribing pathways, reducing the complexity of decision making for the clinician.

RightBreathe presents its content through the website as well as through an app which is available for iOS and Android. The app includes features developed specifically to support patients with their ongoing adherence with inhaled therapy.

It will reduce the time and effort required by healthcare professionals to understand prescribing options

Dr. Saleem continues: “We consider this the most comprehensive, freely available respiratory resource of its kind, taking clinicians from the start of the prescribing process to the end of a patient using a device. It is anticipated thatit will reduce the time and effort required by healthcare professionals to understand prescribing options and will provide them with a resource to which they can direct patients in order to help them optimize their own inhaler technique.

“The net effect of this should be that more patients are prescribed the inhaler that’s most appropriate for their unique needs at every stage of disease. There should be a resultant improvement in inhaler technique and adherence as patients will have a resource they can conveniently and regularly refer to for inhaler technique. This should culminate in better clinical outcomes, better quality of life for patients with respiratory disease and better value for money for the health economy.”